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The Midwest Tea Festival & The English-Speaking Union Announce the Kansas City Tea & Literature Club

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The Midwest Tea Festival and The English-Speaking Union are co-hosting a quarterly book club called the Kansas City Tea & Literature Club. The goal of the Club is to educate tea connoisseurs in learning about and developing an appreciation for world-class teas. Members of the Club will learn about tea varieties, tea etiquette and tea culture from around the world. "Just because the tea festival is only once a year doesn't mean we stop learning about tea," said Nicole Burriss, founder of the festival. "This club will give an opportunity to tea enthusiasts to broaden their tea education."

30th Annual British Faire Join Us for a Day in the U.K.

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All ESU members and guests are invited to the 30th Annual British Faire. This year the Faire is at a new location—Shawnee Civic Center. It is sponsored by the Daughters of the British Empire in Kansas. This annual fundraising event benefits retirement communities and local charities.

The free lecture includes a slide presentation surveying the evidence relating to the authorship of the plays and sonnets of the author known as William Shake-speare. Was it William Shaksper of Stratford-upon-Avon or was it Edward De Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford?

ESU Celebrates 150 Years of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland Don’t Be Late for a Very Important Date

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ATTENTION ALICE IN WONDERLAND FANS:

After considerable thought, we decided it was best to postpone our special celebration of An Evening with Alice in Wonderland due to the understandably high interest in the Royals and their second year in a row in the World Series. Our Alice in Wonderland fundraiser was scheduled the same evening as the third game of the World Series. What an exciting time for the Royals and Kansas City! Of course, we will refund the full ticket price for those who purchased tickets for our Alice in Wonderland event. We are sorry for the inconvenience but please keep watching for other exciting ESU events coming in the near future.

Lewis Carroll's immortal classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published in the summer of 1865 and remains a widely beloved presence in today's world. It is one of the most frequently quoted works of fiction in the English-speaking world, standing alongside only Shakespeare in frequency of citation. 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of Alice's journey down the rabbit hole.

The English-Speaking Union, Kansas City Branch, cordially invites all members and friends to a special celebration honoring Alice and Lewis Carroll. An Evening with Alice in Wonderland is a special fundraising event to help support ESU Kansas City's educational programs.

Tea For Two: ESU Celebrates a Queen and a Princess

Event Recap

The ESU Kansas City Branch celebrated two Royal events on September 19, 2015—HRH Queen Elizabeth II's 89th birthday and also the newest member of the royal family—Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. The occasion was our annual Queen's Tea with this year's theme: "Tea for Two: ESU Celebrates a Queen and a Princess."

Our Queen's Teas are one of our biggest events of the year and this was the fourth year in a row that our Queen's Tea has sold out. Our "Tea for Two" celebration was held at Anna Marie's Teas in Liberty, Mo. The afternoon tea included a variety of tea sandwiches, sweets, Brenda's signature scones, Mock Devonshire cream, fine fruit butter or fruit jams and premium tea.

ESU Goes to the Movies-For Free!

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To commemorate the WW I Centennial Anniversary, the Tivoli Theatre in Westport and the National WW I Museum at the Liberty Memorial are co-hosting free screenings of two new historical films from BBC Worldwide America.

This series was produced this year in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I on July 28, 1914. The two films have a similar look and feel to the great period BBC dramatic series, like "Downton Abbey."

Neither of these films has been shown in the US, released on video or video-on-demand. We hope ESU members and their guests will be able to attend one or both of these BBC-produced films. Please remember: tickets are on a first-come, first-serve basis, so it would be a good idea to arrive at least 45 minutes before showtime.

37 Days: Road to World War I
Two Showings:

Monday, August 4th at 1:00 PM

Saturday, August 9th at 11:00 AM

Royal Cousins at War:The Final Blow to the Royal Houses of EuropeOne Showing:

Annual Queen's Birthday Tea

Event Recap

ESU Members and Friends of ESU attended our annual Queen's Birthday Tea on Saturday, July 26, 2014. It is one of our biggest social gatherings of the year. With 45 ESU members and guest, the Tea was a sell out again this year. This year we celebrated HRH Queen Elizabeth II's 88th birthday as well as William Shakespeare's 450th birthday!

Cellular ‘Cenes Returns to KC Fringe Festival

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A Street Theatre Romance for Two and a Chorus of Cell Phones

Cellular 'Cenes

A fun, quirky play written by long-time ESU member Ben Martin, is returning to the KC Fringe Festival. A girl stands by an art gallery window when a passing guy notices her. He stops and suddenly his night takes a very unusual turn in this quirky, outdoor romantic comedy. The story is told outside in different scenes set in and around the Crossroads Arts District in Kansas City, Mo. How does the audience know where the next scene occurs? Bring your 'cellular device' and find out!

The Winter's Tale

Event Recap

ESU ANNUAL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL GROUP NIGHT

Kansas City ESU members and guests attended the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival's production of The Winter's Tale on Monday, June 30, 2014. This annual ESU Group Night gives ESU members and guests a special group price for reserved seating close to the stage.